Free Republic

Photos of today's crowd outside the Capitol: Health Care Protesters Overwhelm Capitol Bethany Stotts, November 6, 2009 Today’s November 5 rally may have drawn as many as 20,000 protesters against the health care bill which will soon come up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to an Americans for Prosperity representative. As I’m no crowd size estimator, I won’t even hazard a guess, but the panoramas below should give you an idea of how many people were there.....

A law school professor has withdrawn a lawsuit accusing the legal blog Above the Law of publishing a "viciously racist series of rants" after reporting the professor's arrest for suspicion of soliciting prostitution. University of Miami School of Law professor Donald Marvin Jones dropped his lawsuit on Wednesday, nine days after he filed it pro se in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He did not respond to a request for comment.*** Above the Law Managing Editor David Lat declined comment on Thursday, but in a blog post on Wednesday wrote that there had been no...

The following is by Dr. David N. Menton, Ph.D. It is copyrighted 1994 by Missouri Association for Creation -- The human brain consists of approximately 12 billion cells, forming 120 trillion interconnections. The light sensitive retina of the eye (which is really part of the brain) contains over 10 million photoreceptor cells. These cells capture the light pattern formed by the lens and convert it into complex electrical signals, which are then sent to a special area of the brain where they are transformed into the sensation we call vision. In an article in "Byte" magazine (April 1985), John Stevens...

While organizing our filing system, I ran across my adoption papers. My mother gave them to me a couple of years ago for my own records. The cost of my adoption was a 300.00 donation to Catholic Charities in Chicago, I was six days old. I am blessed to be in the family, in which I was placed. My mother tells me there were lots of rules to comply with. The agency wanted to make sure I had a stable and secure home. In reality, no one can predict how a family will one day turn out. Ours certainly had...

An official announcement by the Obama administration disclosing the reality of extraterrestrial life is imminent. For several months, senior administration officials have been quietly deliberating behind closed doors how much to disclose to the world about extraterrestrial life. Dissatisfaction among powerful institutions such as the U.S. Navy over the decades-long secrecy policy has given a boost to efforts to disclose the reality of extraterrestrial life and technology. The impending disclosure announcement follows upon the secret implementation of a year long openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Over the period February 12-14, 2008, the United Nations held closed doors discussions...

Tina Fey, who only recently confessed before David Letterman's national television audience that she didn't have sex until she was 24, is outing herself again: she admires and respects the woman she imitates, Sarah Palin. And is teetering toward voting for Palin should the former Alaska governor run for president in 2012.

Relax Contessa! Just get on your knees and well, you know, apologize. Jesse, Al, Jesse, Al, what's the difference right? Jesse despises Contessa, remember she's white, so there is no need for her to get down on her knees and well, you know, apologize, as if he's going to mug her. The look on her face! It was as if Contessa was thinking, 'I'm so so sorry Mr. Black man, It wasn't my fault, I swear. I have oppressed you enough already and am responsible for all the problems in the black community and feel so bad for what my...

Lots of talk about CBO scoring today, and now Talking Points Memo is reporting that things are looking good for a strong public option, at least on the House side: A preliminary analysis from CBO may have sealed the deal. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing to move ahead with a "robust" public option--one that reimburses hospitals and providers at Medicare rates, plus five percent--in the House's health care bill. More: The analysis finds the reconstituted House proposal to be deficit neutral, and require about $870 billion in new spending, over ten years. And that's all Pelosi needed to move: She...

Why would someone have a picture of Obama on their chest? No it’s not what you think. This is Phillip Dennis of the Texas Tea party and it’s not a statement he makes in support of Obama … but a challenge. A worthy opponent of Chris Matthews. Matthews game is to draw out hypocrisy in his opponent and the easiest way to do that is to talk about the “Bush” deficit. But Dennis hits back and hits back hard. The Obama deficit makes Bush look like a piker.

Members of the mainstream media are having a field day after it was announced today that Dave Checketts, owner of the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues, had decided to drop conservative radio talk show legend Rush Limbaugh from the group interested in purchasing the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams. Conveniently, they ignore the fact that the league’s biggest problems stem not from the owners or prospective owners, but from the players themselves.

Do newspapers get any worse than this?

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It appears that when certain citizens of Austin get behind their computers, they turn into monstrous villains. This, at least, appears to be the view of Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the chief is considering pursuing commenters on blogs who have either impersonated him or his officers or maligned them beyond the boundaries of legal tolerance. Options under discussion appear to be not only libel suits, but also criminal charges if the police believe these are warranted. It so happens that Texas passed a state law on September 1 that specifically targets those who "use...

We went from Reagan never removing his jacket inside the Oval Office to the new hip hope and change President putting rap songs on the White House blog....disgraceful

Alone in a crowd of rugged men, nursing his drink in the far corner of the old post town's only tavern: Kaim. A single man strides in through the tavern door. Massively built, he wears the garb of a warrior. His soiled uniform bespeaks a long journey. Fatigue marks his face, but his eyes wear a penetrating gleam—the look of a fighting man on active duty. The tavern's din hushes instantly. Every drunken eye in the place fastens on the soldier with awe and gratitude. The long war with the neighboring country has ended at last, and the men who...

In the recent dialogue between David Frum and David Horowitz about the place of Glenn Beck and other bold talkers in the Conservative Movement Frum shot out a claim which threw Horowitz off guard: Third – how do we define “our side”? Horowitz harshly condemns Obama appointee Van Jones. Van Jones was eventually forced to resign not because of any of the allegations Glenn Beck hurled at him, but because the Gateway Pundit blog unearthed evidence that Van Jones had consorted with 9/11 denialists. So that’s the other side, right? Except… the American politician who most closely associates with 9/11...

As the debate on health care in the U.S. continues, President Obama detailed his vision for health insurance reform in his second address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday September 9, 2009. The address was carried live from 8:00PM to approximately 9:06PM on 10 television networks. The sum of average audience for those networks was 32,111,596 viewers. The networks carrying the press conference were ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, Telemundo, BET, CNBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, and MSNBC. Viewership to last night’s address was down 38.6% from President Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress on February...

I’ve shown you what happens when liberals protest Republicans. Despite their use of obscene language in public, their signs weren’t confiscated or destroyed. Although we may find that speech objectionable, we recognize their right to verbalize and express that speech.

It says much about humanity’s basic urge to be ruled by dynasties that Teddy Kennedy came anywhere near being elected president in 1980. Whatever his other qualities, his behaviour at Chappaquiddick eleven years earlier, where he might have been able to save Mary Jo Kopechne’s life but instead chose to save his own career by waiting until his blood/alcohol level reached a legal level, would have ruled out anyone else from becoming local rat catcher, let alone leader of the greatest nation on earth.But after the murder of his brothers John and Bobby, Teddy became America’s atheling – until the...

Not the first to go on the milk carton but the first to bail on her constituents — and it looks like she’ll have company. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, whose decision to duck town-hall forums surprised New Hampshire constituents who remember her pre-election town-hall antics, has decided to grace voters with her presence after all. However, she’s managed to schedule it at a time next Saturday when activists had planned to be elsewhere. Don’t worry about attending Rep. Paul Hodes’ forum, however. Granite Grok reports that Hodes is holing up in a union hall for his constituent outreach. Apparently, he feels...

A 30-year-old New Yorker who was barred from the securities industry last year may be behind an increasingly popular financial blog known as Zerohedge.com, which is catching flack for its obsession with anonymity. Daniel Ivandjiiski, whose most recently listed address is on the Upper East Side, was barred last September by the financial industry's self regulatory authority, FINRA, for insider trading. Ivandjiiski is also suspected of being one of the founders of controversial financial blog Zerohedge.com, sources tell The Post. Ivandjiiski didn't return requests for comment, but he recently told industry publication Hedge Fund Alert that while he writes for...

A 34-YEAR-OLD woman, the mother of a 12-year-old girl, has been locked up in a Virginia jail for three weeks and could remain there for at least another month. Her crime? Blogging about the police.

News Net 5: Rep. Marcia Fudge dropped all pretenses that this was a state of the district meeting and took on the topic of health care reform. She also made it clear right off the bat that disruptions would not be allowed. Anyone who attempted to engage Fudge before the question-and-answer period was quickly shown the door. Case Western Reserve University police said two opponents of reform were ejected for being disorderly. Fudge made sure critics knew where she stood. "This is still my meeting," she said. To comment on this video click here or click the "Comments" link below.

HoosierAccess.com was nominated as a finalist in the 2009 Blog Indiana "Best Political Blog" category. The finalists are two Democrat blogs (one, Blue Indiana, is authored by a former Indiana Dem party staffer), Advance Indiana, a moderate blog authored by a gay Republican, and Hoosier Access the one truly Conservative blog on the list. Also is the RTV6 blog which is a blog extension of the MSM. Go HERE to vote. One vote per email address please - we're not ACORN, SEIU, or the Democrats you know.

Hey Freepers, I need your help if any of you web experts have the time. I want to build a website. I have: --a macbook pro, purchased from the libs at Apple 2 years ago. --a godaddy.com domain name registered, as well as their free hosting --new version of iWeb --a tentatively built iWeb site I want to: --update my site often and use it as a blog --allow comments if possible I wonder: --should I get a different web host? Every one I've looked into seems to have several comments disparaging it for being a rip off/ scam etc....

The credibility of MSNBC host Chris Matthews took another hit on Monday night’s episode of Hardball. In a segment devoted to the ongoing controversy surrounding the brief arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Matthews remarked:

A line was drawn in the sand last week - a response by the Federal Government to the State of Tennessee and their assertion of sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Part of a series of moves by states seeking to utilize the Tenth Amendment as a limit on Federal Power, the Tennessee State Senate approved Senate Bill 1610, the Tennesse Firearms Freedom Act, by a vote of 22-7. It previously passed the House by a vote of 87-1. The law states that “federal laws and regulations do not apply to personal firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition...

My research concluded that, along with the environmental groups that peddle fear and flawed science, the most popular recipient of massive foundation money is the vocal open borders and "multicultural" lobby that, among other things, backs amnesty for 15 million-plus illegal aliens and so-called foreign "guest worker programs. This lobby consists of numerous foundation-supported advocacy groups seeking to change the demographic composition and culture of the United States. One of the most militant is the National Immigration Forum, which received over $3.3 million in grants in 2004 alone from the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,...

Blog for and about space settlement on July 20th July 20th 2009 is the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. July 20th is also Space Exploration Day. After 40 years of space exploration it is time to begin space settlement. In order to honor all who risked their lives for space exploration and all who are dedicated to opening the new era of space settlement, we ask everyone to blog about space settlement on July 20th. Feel free to write about any aspect of space settlement, and about settlement at any space location — orbital settlements, settlements on...

(CNSNews.com) – Michael Copps, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission and its former acting chairman, has circulated an internal report examining the state of media journalism in America and discussing ways to address issues such as the rise of media conglomerates and the prevalence of opinion journalism.

Despite it being in many ways a marvel of modern technology, the International Space Station can't keep up with even the simplest modern cellphone in terms of data communication with Earth. Disruption-Tolerant Networking, a new protocol for transmitting data in space being developed jointly by NASA, Google's "Chief Internet Evangelist" and others, hopes to change that. Now, spacecraft like the ISS communicate with Earth over a single point-to-point connection using a transmitter that is essentially a souped-up walkie-talkie. Data transmissions must be carefully scheduled to coincide with periods where both the ISS and a receiving station are in range for...

Is Malia Obama following in the fashionista footsteps of her mother, First Lady Michelle Obama, and flashing designer duds? For the flight with her family from Washington DC to Moscow, the 11-year old First Tween sported a skirt that bears a striking resemblance to one by designer See by Chloe. The skirt is available for purchase online at Intermix, retails for $345 but is now on sale for $219. The White House does not comment on the clothing choices of the First Daughters’ and would not confirm that the skirt was indeed by the designer. If so, Malia, who just...

I've been doing this for ten years as an email to a list of friends and subscribers. I've been persuaded to try it as a blog. The idea is that a ten minute weekend read can help you stay informed even if you don't have time to follow the news each day.

Please forgive the shameless plug here; Whispers in the loggia is an excellent source for all things related to current events in the Catholic Church.

Uncle Sam’s HajjbyPaul L. Williams, Ph.D.thelastcrusade.orgThe dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores. And that includes nearly 7 million American Muslims in our country today who, by the way, enjoy incomes and educational levels that are higher than the American average. President Barack Hussein Obama, The University of Cairo, June, 2009 Is President Obama correct in his claim that America is now one of the world’s leading Islamic countries with a population of 7 million Muslims? Ibrahim Hooper, president of the Council...

I want to imbed a Martha Stewart video clip in my Wordpress blog. Is there a way to do this? Sorry for the vanity.

At long last, Teddy Kennedy has partially revealed the health care system he wants to foist on the whole country — and it isn’t p At the center of the plan is what’s called a “universal mandate.” What this means is that you — and virtually everyone in the country — will have to buy as much health insurance as the government demands, and that insurance plan will actually have to be approved by the government. {I think Ted has finally lost it. Go away, die, and leave us in peace, Ted.} If you work for a small business, the...

Eek: In an edict released jointly by nine government departments, Beijing said government procurement must use only Chinese products or services unless they were not available within the country or could not be bought on reasonable commercial or legal terms. Well, I can't say I'm surprised. After all, we did pretty much the same thing with our stimulus bill. Of course this reminds me of a pair of gentlemen by the names of Smoot and Hawley. For 50 points does anyone remember them and what they were best known for? And for the other 50, what was the ultimate outcome...

Write or call your two Senators and urge a NO vote on so-called hate crime legislation. The Democrat-controlled House just passed H.R. 1913, a so-called hate crimes bill that makes “sexual orientation,” “gender,” and “gender identity” into federally-protected classes under the law. The Senate version is S. 909, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It must be defeated. This legislation begins to lay the legal foundation and framework to investigate, prosecute and persecute pastors, youth pastors, Bible teachers, and anyone else whose Bible speech and thought is based upon and reflects the truths found in the Bible. A...

I need some help creating a blog. I have a specific focus, pages of ideas, my own domain (.com and .net) but the learning curve involved with creating my blog is so high for me, that I fear it will take weeks and weeks to just get the basic format together. I signed up for GoDaddy.com's Quick Blogcast tool, and it is not only very un-intuitive but it has many glitches. I checked out Wordpress and love many of their features, but from what I read, I can't have my own sponsors. I'm thinking that my blog/podcast idea may be...

As we've been noting, there have been a lot of very unhappy bears out there lately, who have been forced to suffere through this trashy, low-volume, short-covering sucker's rally. No amount of questioning the green shoots has done them any good, as bulls have trampled over them everytime they dare make a stand. Yesterday was particularly painful, since the day's gains broke what was starting to be a slide last week. But today's pain -- and in particular soaring interest rates -- gives them reason for hope. If Treasury yields keep moving up, the Fed will have been rendered neutered...

As a matter of fact, the recent step taken by the Fed proves that, though they do not admit it, they are in fact beginning to realize that they are facing a problem of general insolvency in the US (and in the related countries, such as UK (1)), affecting the federal State, federated states, companies, banks and households. For this reason, they have started (2) buying the T-Bonds issued by the US federal government. Of course this is pure money creation and a clear signal that Washington is now compelled to pay its abysmal deficits by issuing thousands of billions...

To my knowledge, no one has proposed waterboarding the US Federal Reserve. But the hostile reaction of much of the country's political leadership to suggestions that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit the Federal Reserve Board might lead people to think that waterboarding was being called for. The basic story is straightforward. The US Congress has lent more than $700bn, via the Treasury, to bankers at below market interest rates through the troubled assets relief programme, or Tarp. This was to keep the banks from going belly up. At the same time, the Fed has lent more than $2 trillion...

Our economy, banking and lending system will never heal up in the US if we don’t start practicing real fairness and common sense. As it is with the latest series of bailouts for the auto industry and bankers, bad business is rewarded and incompetence gets the prize. According to this President and this congress, the greedier, more naïve and failure in business you are, the more money you should have of Tarp funds. Did I say Tarp funds? I meant to say Shark funds. AIG and other investment institutions gave out idiot, 100% and even 130% loans for years whether...

The cross is the most powerful signal of Christianity. To believers it signifies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for humanity and an invitation to become a Christian and be, presumably, saved. The cross is ubiquitous, whether it’s on churches, on dashboards, on doors or around necks. But it’s never been a really big deal in the Mormon church. As a youngster, I can’t count how many times I heard in Sunday school or Primary, “We don’t worship the cross.” That always struck me as sort of funny, since I never wanted to worship it. But I always thought the cross...

I watched with horror today a video of the Catholic Priest Father Weslin being arrested at Notre Dame over the weekend for trespassing (protesting abortion), while the most pro-abortion/pro-infanticide president (or politician for that matter) that this country has ever elected was honored by the same university. The link I have attached: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDA0QvWqoss&feature=related is powerful because it shows the honoring of Obama while at the same time showing the arrest of Father Weslin. Just so everyone is clear on this, a university run by the Catholic Church had one of their own priests arrested for standing up for an undeniable...

Abortion is the supreme moral issue of our time. No other issue in the developed world is bigger, no other issue is as comparatively ignored. While we hem and haw about the economy and terrorism and Israel and health care, literally MILLIONS of unborn babies are being aborted each year. Millions. Probably the biggest obstacle the pro-life side has is convincing people that there is an abortion holocaust going on that makes the Nazis look like amateurs, and the Soviet gulag system look like a slap on the wrist. It is the sheer enormity of the issue, the implications of...

How he could say this without cracking up is beyond me.

Well, that's a big and bold question. For the next few months, we're going to try to go over each and every section of the budget and show the waste, fraud and abuse in the budget alone. Things that a responsible party, whether it's the Republicans or a new party, built on the Tea Party movement, can use to show the American public just how bad the graft is. We've all heard about "The Bridge to Nowhere". But, there are many, many things in the budget that you may not have heard about, and starting now, we're going to start...